My Father, the Avatar
by Plot Bunnies Rule
Summary: "There are many stories about my father and his adventures, but this time, it's my story." A post war, Avatar family fic with a hint of action, adventure, romance, and humor. R & R please!
1. Prologue

'Ello luvs. So, I decided to write a long, post war, Avatar family fanfic. YAY ME! But anyway, I am absolutely determined to write this, not matter how much I get flamed, (_If_ I get flamed) or even if you don't review it at all! (But I would prefer if you reviewed. Hint hint, poke poke) Oh and the list of characters will be up on my profile under **My Stories**, in case you get confuzzled about all these new names. Remember, reviews are not your enemies, they are your friends.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, or Aang's hair. (Sighs and daydreams about Aang's hair) Oh this cruel, cruel world. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

My Father, the Avatar

Prologue

There is only one word to describe my family: big. My father always said he wanted a big family, seeing as he never grew up with siblings at all. I would never have realized how big our family would get, until, of course, it was almost too big to handle. But my family can get through anything. I guess I should introduce my family to you.

I'll start with my sister, Mysha. It always starts with her. Nine-years-old, talkative, the longest brown hair you will ever see, and an airbender. She takes pride in the fact that she is the only girl airbender in the entire world, and she often goes on about it for quite awhile. She is also proud of the blue arrow on her forehead. She practically worked day and night to achieve such an honor, and now she is a master. Nine-years-old, and a master. Unbelievable.

Shu is six years old. Like Mysha, he is also an airbender. Unlike Mysha, he's absolutely awful at it. My father is working with him as much as he can, but business takes him away often, so Mysha has offered to help him. Unfortunately, she takes after Auntie Toph, and has Shu working the most gruesome exercises in the history of bending itself. So my brother is steadily getting, well, nowhere I guess. I've talked with Mysha countless times, but she is so stubborn, and is convinced that the awful training is the only way to train Shu. I feel so sorry for him.

Torako is 12 years old, and brilliant. He is the only non-bender in our family, but he is never teased about it. If we did, we would have to face the wrath of my mother, and nobody wants that. Torako's specialty is studying the theory of bending, currently waterbending. But other than theory of bending, he also knows about everything else you can think of. My brother is nothing short of amazing.

Last, but not least of my siblings, is Itomo. He's a waterbender, just like me! Unfortunately, he is only three, so I can't converse with him on the wonders of waterbending. Nor can we teach him anything, for my mother declared him "too young" whenever my father offered to teach him. Of course, my mother may just be jealous because _she_ wants to teach Itomo waterbending herself, but whatever.

In my extended family, there are my cousins and my Auntie Toph and Uncle Sokka. Uncle Sokka is my mother's older brother, and has known my father and Auntie Toph for years. Long ago, the four of them got into many "escapades" as my uncle calls them, "a lot of trouble" my mom calls it. The four of them have been friends for, well, a long time. They have even been known as the "Fearsome Foursome", but I think my uncle made_that_ one up.

Any way, I have three cousins; Sashia and the twins, Komo and Moko. Sashia is nine, and a non-bender, like Torako. Surprisingly, she is best friends with Mysha, the all powerful airbender. Maybe it's because they are the same age. Maybe it's because the theory of "opposites attract" is true, according to Torako. They certainly couldn't bemore different, that's for sure. Personally, I think Sashia just likes to ride on Mysha's glider.

The twins, Komo and Moko are seven years old, and they both are earthbenders, just like Auntie Toph. They are not blind like her, but she still teaches them the art of "seeing with your feet" thing or whatever it is. All I can say is, that when we play tag, they never, ever, get caught.

Before I get ahead of myself, I should probably introduce my mother, Katara. People say that I look, and act, exactly like her. I don't know about the acting bit, but I do know that I could be my mother's twin, if I wasn't her daughter. From my hair loopies, as my father calls them, to my facial features, to the pouch of water at my side. I don't know what I would do without my water; it's a part of who I am.

Then, we have my father. Some call him Aang, some (OK, one person) calls him Twinkle Toes, but most call him the Avatar. Being the Avatar has never altered my image of my father, hey, if he wasn't the Avatar, I wouldn't even be here would I? He has many responsibilities as the Avatar, and he is away from home a lot, but whenever he comes back, he always has time for us individually. I love my father with all of my heart.

Speaking of me, I should probably tell you who I am. My name is Leila, a fourteen year old master waterbender, and oldest daughter of Katara and Aang.

There are many stories about my father and his adventures, but this time, it's_my_ story.

* * *

B/N I love this! I can' wait for this to continue. Just the beginning yet I feel so excited to read more. You have great skill. 


	2. Stories My Mother Tells Us

A/N Sorry this update took so long. I lost my rough draft to this story, and then had to write some of it by memory, and you can guess how long that took. So, here it is the long-awaited update! Don't forget to review! Thank you to my beta, Serodezha!

Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA, even though I want Aang's hair soooo badly!

Stories My Mother Tells Us

At night, it has always been a tradition in our family to tell stories, or rather, my mother tells the stories about hers, my fathers, uncle Sokka and auntie Toph's adventures, and we children listen. Usually, my father picks out the story, and my mother tells it. But when my father is away, like now, we children get to pick the story out. We all have our personal favorites.

Shu's favorite is the story is the story of how my mother and Uncle Sokka found my father in an iceberg, and how my father was banished from the village, but came back to save it.

Mysha, the hopeless romantic, loves the story of the Cave of Two Lovers. But for some reason, whenever my mother gets near the end, she always has something she needs to do, so the rest is left up to Mysha's imagination.

Torako's favorite is the Hidden Library story, and the fantastic information our parents found in it.

Itomo's favorite, for some odd reason, is the Swamp story. I don't understand why, it's not particularly interesting, nor is it funny. I think my brother just likes saying "swamp" which he pronounces as "wamp".

My personal favorite is about the drill that tried to break through the wall of Ba Sing Se. Of course, I find it hard to believe that a simple drill could break through. I have seen the walls myself, and they don't look like _anything_ could break through.

Anyway, tonight was no different in our story-telling routine, and because my father was gone, we could pick out any story we wanted.

All of us, Shu, Mysha, Torako, Itomo, and I, sat on the floor in a line, waiting for my mother. When she came, she came in front of us, looked at us wryly, and said "Now, what story shall I tell tonight?" knowing very well what our answers would be.

"Cave of Two Lovers" shrieked Mysha.

"The day you found dad!" cried Shu.

"The Hidden Library" exclaimed Torako.

"The Drill" I stated earnestly.

"Wamp!!" Itomo screamed.

Torako (you know, the smart one?) looked at Itomo sternly, then said "Itomo, it's not 'wamp', it's 'swamp'. 's-w-am-p!"

Itomo's smile grew bigger. "Wamp!!"

Torako sighed, defeated.

We looked at our mother, waiting for her answer to our cries. She looked thoughtful, as if she couldn't decide what story to tell us.

"How about the story of how we met Auntie Toph?" she asked.

We looked at each other, and silently consented. We had all heard this story before, but my mother's stories never got old. My mom was an amazing story teller, sort of a hidden talent she found after the war. Goodness knows she needed it now.

Mom went on to tell the story about Earth Rumble Six, The Blind Bandit, meeting Grandmother and Grandfather Bei Fong, my father and Auntie Toph getting captured for ransom, and finally, ending with Uncle Sokka "accidentally" throwing a belt onto Auntie Toph's head. After we were all done laughing, mom went to go fix dinner, and we commented on the story. Or rather, Mysha did.

"Ah, love at first sight. It must have been so romantic for Uncle Sokka and Auntie Toph!"

Torako snorted. "Mysha, it can't be true love for two reasons. One, Auntie Toph is _blind_, so it can't be love at first _sight_. And two, Uncle Sokka threw a belt on Auntie Tophs head. How is that romantic?"

Mysha rolled her eyes. "Oh, Torako, you're a boy, what would you know about true love?"

Torako turned away from Mysha, and she looked at me with raised eyebrows. I shrugged. Sometimes, Torako could be confusing.

I got up to help mom with dinner, but suddenly, there came a knock on the door. I was confused. We weren't expecting anybody, were we? Before I got to the door though, the "somebody" barged in.

My father looked at us with mock sadness in his eyes "What, no welcoming committee?"

That did it. My siblings and I ran at our father, each of us trying to grab hold of him. Naturally, we failed miserably.

Dad tried to talk to each of us in turn. "Shu, how's your training coming along? Torako, have you talked to Master Pakku about theory of healing? Mysha, calm down, I'm not going anywhere! Leila, can you stop Mysha from attacking me? Itomo…" but at that moment, my mother walked into the room.

My father sat Itomo down, and took a long look at my mother, before running up to her and kissing her full on the mouth.

Shu and Itomo covered their eyes and stuck out their tongues. Mysha sighed and looked at them dreamily. I bet she just _loved_ all of this romantic aura. Torako blushed and looked away again. I made a mental note to talk to him later.

Personally, I was happy that my parents were so in love. I knew that during the war, they went through so much. As some famous person said "love that stood the test of time."

I brought myself out of my thoughts, and looked at Mom and Dad again. After a few more seconds, they pulled away from each other, breathless. My father looked at us slyly, and said "Now, I wonder if any of you would be interested in what's in that bag over there?"

I looked at the bag that could only mean one thing.

"PRESENTS!" Mysha shouted.

She ran over and immediately started handing out packages to everybody. "Itomo, here's yours. Torako, Shu, and…ME! Oh wait, here you go Leila."

She handed me a letter. My face fell, but immediately lit up again when I saw who the letter was from. "Anyari!" I exclaimed.

I sat down at our table to read the letter.

_Dear Leila,_

_Greeting from the Fire Nation! How is it in that frozen tundra you call home? Seriously, how can you guys live there? It's freezing! Next time we see each other, you should come visit _me_. I'm sure Zulon wouldn't mind. Maybe it will cheer him up._

Here, I involuntarily blushed. Anyari has this crazy idea that I like her older brother, Zulon. Rubbish, really. No, really! I don't like him at all in _that_ way! It's just…

_**Everyone else in story: **_**GET ON WITH IT!!**

Oh right. Well, then, I went back to the letter.

_Why would you want to cheer him up? Because he is driving me crazy! He keeps strutting around our palace, telling me what to do, or to criticize me. That's all I hear now "You are disgracing the Fire Nation and our ancestors!" Why in the world would he care about our ancestors? Most of them were wackos! Mom's excuse for his behavior is that, and I quote "Zulon has finally realized that he is the heir to the throne, and will become Fire Lord someday" et cetera. Whatever, that still doesn't mean he can insult me. Maybe you guys could come here? It's almost my birthday, you know; maybe…oh, but why keep dreaming? I know you have a lot to do down there, what with your siblings, training, and your dad, all that junk. Write me back soon! _

_Princess Anyari _

I rolled my eyes. Anayari could be a bit of a drama queen sometimes, but still, Zulon did sound a little annoying.

I rolled up my letter, and went to go help my mother with our meal.

Dinner that night was very amusing. Naturally, dad had a story to tell us about his journey to the Earth Capitol. Who would know how funny Fire Lord Zuko could be when he traveled on Appa when he had too much to eat?

All too soon, it was time for bed. I went to sleep that night with dreams of a safer world, our world, and my father had arranged that. All was well…for now.

The next morning, I woke up early to do my per-training exercises. I was just finishing up when I saw someone walking, no running, up to our house. I groaned when I realized who it was.

"Oh no. Not Kuru!"

It was no secret that Kuru, a boy in my waterbending class, had a major crush on me. Everyone knew it, even Itomo knew it, and he's only three years old!

I faked a smile as Kuru came up to me "Good morning, Kuru, what brings you here so early?"

He panted, out of breath, for a second before handing me a very official looking scroll. "This just came for your dad. I volunteered to bring it to you." He smiled at me.

"_I'll bet you did."_ I complained in my head.

I took the scroll, and thanked him. Before he left, Kuru turned to me and said "So, Leila, I was wondering if…you know…we could maybe…"

"NO!!" I said a bit too loudly. "Um, no, you see, my dad just got back so…"

"I understand." Kuru said, crestfallen. "I'll see you at training." And with that, he ran off.

I sighed with relief, glad that the worst was over. Then I took a look at the scroll.

"Oh, no."

The letter was from the Fire Nation. What's worst, it was from the Fire Lord. That could only mean one thing.

Bad news, really bad news.

* * *

A/N: Well, you know what to do.

B/N: This is so good. I enjoy every minute of editing this story, though there isn't much to edit. Good job.


	3. The AdventureIs Planned

**A/N** Sorry this chapter isn't as long; just think of it as a "passing chapter" My excuse? I have stupid testing this week, and "stress + trying to keep up with fanfiction MADNESS" Any way, enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA, OK?

* * *

The Adventure…Is Planned

I ran home in a daze. _"A letter from Zuko? What does he want? Is something wrong?"_ these thought swam through my head as I came closer and closer to home. Finally, I burst into out kitchen.

My mother was making breakfast while my father was trying to sneak bites of whatever she was making. Mysha was trying to show Shu how to do the air scooter. Torako was at the table, looking at an extremely long scroll, and Itomo was on the floor, playing. They all froze what they were doing when I rushed in. I said nothing, just handed my father the letter. He opened it with shaking hands.

He scanned it for a second before turning to my mother "Katara?" he motioned for her to come over.

She too looked at the letter, and gasped audibly, saying "I'll go get Sokka and Toph!" and with that, she ran out the door, into the snow, with nothing on but a thin dress.

I sank down into a chair at our table. I knew what was coming now. A big family meeting.

--

We were all seated at our enormous table, along with our extended family, including Uncle Sokka, Auntie Toph, and my cousins Sashia, Komo and Moko. It was silent except for Uncle Sokka's fingers nervously drumming our table. Even the usually mischievous Komo and Moko were silent. I would have been amazed, but now was not the time for good-hearted amazement.

Anyway, we all sat, waiting, for dad to tell us what in Yue's name was going on, but before he could, mom spoke up "Maybe the children should leave? They really don't need to know this." She looked hopeful, but dad shook his head.

"No," he said quietly. "They need to know." He began to explain.

"As all of you know, a long time ago, I defeated Fire Lord Ozai." We rolled our eyes. Of _course_ we knew!

Dad cleared his throat "Yes, well, anyway, you all know that, and you also know that Ozai was Zuko's father." We nodded, and my father went on "What some of you don't know is, that Zuko had a sister." We children sat a little straighter in our seats. Uncle Sokka shuddered, and Auntie Toph cursed under her breath, while mom leaned against dad, biting her lip.

"Her name was Azula," he went on to explain "And she was nothing short of pure evil." He held up Zuko's letter "After the war, Azula disappeared, and was believed to be dead. But Zuko had reason to believe that she is back, and has gathered some followers, including sinister group called the Dai Le. Zuko wants me to come help him investigate and see if we can capture Azula."

Here, he paused, and Torako stated the obvious. "So, to do that, you'll have to go to the Fire Nation?" Dad nodded.

"But you just got back!" Mysha exclaimed. "How can you leave so soon?" I too, was thinking those very same thoughts.

To our immense surprise, though, my father smiled "That is why I want you all to come with me."

His statement was greeted by stunned silence, but soon interrupted by Sashia, who said "So, like go to the Fire Nation with you?" I sighed, and put my head in my hands _"DUH!"_ I thought to myself. Dad nodded.

Well, you can imagine how much chaos _that_ caused! My relatives, right and left, now talking as if there were no tomorrow. Pure confusion, I tell you.

My mother stood up, and tried to calm everyone down, but she failed miserably. So, Auntie Toph stood up, and commanded us to "SHUT UP, ALREADY!" We obeyed.

Dad cleared his throat, and continued. "Thank you, Toph. Now, the boring stuff. Zuko is sending us a ship, and it should arrive in about a week. Sokka, Toph, Katara and I will be riding on Appa." This was met by shouts of protest from th kids.

"What? Why?"

"I wanna ride on Appa!"

"Why do we have to stay on the boat?"

"DON'T MAKE ME TELL YOU TO SHUT UP AGAIN!" came Auntie Toph's loud voice. The boys obeyed.

Dad continued "The reason the five of us will riding on Appa is that because of the threat of Azula and if we came on a big, luxurious, high-class ship it might draw too much attention to us."

Here, I got confused. Wouldn't Azula notice a giant flying-bison hovering near a ship? But I kept my mouth shut, and went back to paying attention to my father.

"When we get there, we will be staying at the palace, and we plan to stay there for about a month. Any questions? No? Well then, I guess that's it." He sat down.

The talking started again, but something was wrong. Very wrong.

My father looked as if he regretted the decision to take us.Wouldn't it be dangerous to go on a trip all the way to the Fire Nation, with this Azula lady possibly on the loose? Something wasn't right, and I was determined to figure out what it was, before it was too late.

--

Zuko's ship made it into our small, Southern Water Tribe port with out any delay and we immediately began to load our many bags, supplies, packages, food, etc. I was amazed. It was like I was actually expecting something to go wrong, like the engine dying or something like that. But…nothing. All was going really well.

Unfortunately, I underestimated our luck, or mine at least. Just as the last of our stuff was being loaded, who should run up to me but…Kuru. Why can I never get rid of this guy? Can't he take a simple hint that I don't like him, at _all_!

I put another fake smile on my face as he came up to me. "Hello, Kuru." I said to him, with no emotion in my voice. Maybe I can scare him away.

Nope. He too, smiled at me. "Hi Leila, I just wanted to, you know, say 'bye' before you, you know, left…"

_"Uh huh, suuuuure." _I thought to myself.

We stood there for a few seconds before Sashia came up to the top deck and said "Leila, the ship is leaving in ten minutes!"

I turned my attention back to Kuru. "Look Kuru, I-" but I was interrupted, by the oddest thing that has ever happened to me.

He kissed me. Or, at least, I think that's what he meant to do. He kind of missed, and ended up kissing my ear. I was on total discomfort, and I wanted him to leave...now. He was beet red when he pulled away, and quickly said "Well, I gotta go. See ya!" And with that, he ran off.

In a daze, I walked onto our small ship and made my way to my room, which I was sharing with Mysha and Sashia. They were sitting on their beds, giggling about something or other, like best friends do.

I must have looked pretty weird because Sashia and Mysha took one look at my faceand burst out laughing.

"What happened to you Leila? You look like you just ate a raw penguin egg!" Sashia commented.

I shook myself out of my stupor and told them about what had happened. They laughed again and I laughed with them.

"That guy seriously needs to lay off." Mysha said. "There is such a thing as too much, you know?"

I gasped, mockingly, at her. "My goodness, did that just come from Mysha The Romantic?"

Sashia giggled. Mysha rolled her eyes, and stood up. "Come on, the ship will be taking off soon!" she said, and with that, she ran out the door, followed closely by Sashia. I came up to the top deck as well. Our entire village was there to wish us a safe trip, we would certainly need it.

I waved at various people, but soon spotted my father, who was looking at the horizon. He had the unsure look on his face again, and I went up to him and gave him a hug.

"Everything is going to be alright dad, you'll see!" If only I could believe my own words.

* * *

**A/N** Review, please?

**B/N **Nice story.


	4. The Prestigious Arrival

**A/N** I am NOT dead! I was just…occupied. :D Please forgive the extremely long wait for this chap, it took a lot of effort. And school is finally over for me. YAY!! So that means I'll have more time to write. YAY AGAIN!! R&R please!

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA, and if I did, I wouldn't be here, would I? I would be making ATLA have more Kataang and Tokka and Maiko.

The "Prestigious" Arrival

I leaned on the ship's railing, looking out to sea. I looked over into the water, and with my index finger, I waterbended a stream in the ocean. It wasn't enough to keep my attention. I was being unnaturally impatient and wanted this leisure trip (If you can call it that) to be over as soon as possible. I wanted to see my best fiend, Anyari again. It had been over five years since I'd seen her and I missed her terribly. I sighed and turned around to look at everyone.

Mysha and Shu were jumping into the air, trying to see land I guess. Itomo was playing with water that had splashed onto the ship, and I was happy to see that the water moved a bit when he moved his hand over it. I looked up and saw my parents and my Aunt and uncle on Appa. I waved to them and they waved back. Torako, though, was sitting a few feet away from me, staring off into space. I remember I promised to talk to him earlier, so I went and sat by him.

"Hey Torako." I said to him. He simply nodded back. I got right to the point. "Listen, I've noticed that you been sort of out of it the past few days and I was just wondering if you wanted to talk about it. If you don't that's fine, but just now that I'm always here for you to talk to."

Torako looked at me, smiling, and then quietly said "Promise not to tell anyone?" I agreed. Torako sighed. "OK, well, see, there's this girl, and I haven't seen her in awhile. I _really _like her, but I don't know if she'll like me back. I have no clue what to do."

I sighed along with him. "Trust me; I know how you feel, Torako. The only thing I can tell you right now is to be patient. If she shows signs of liking you back, then you're set. If she doesn't, there are plenty other koi-fish in the ocean, right?"

"Right." Torako smiled. "Thanks, Leila." I smiled back. As I walked away, though, I could hear Torako muttering "Too bad the Koi-fish are almost extinct."

Soon, Mysha was loudly yelling. "I see it! I see the gates of Azulon!"

We ran to the front of the ship and just appearing at the horizon were the Great Gates of Azulon. We were almost there.

Immediately, we all scrambled about, packing up items that had strayed away from our stuff. By the time that was done we were at the Gates, and we sailed through them smoothly. Minutes later, our ship stopped at the port directly in front of the palace. Dad and them had just landed, and were getting off of Appa's back as the rest of us stumbled off the ship.

I swayed on the spot, trying to rid the world from spinning in my head. When it finally stopped, I looked around me and saw what I have not seen in many years. The Palace was totally redone (due to the fact that when Dad defeated Ozai, he burned down the place) and it was looking magnificent.. I smiled and set off with my family to meet my friend, but something stopped me. I turned around and there was my mom smiling with her hand on my shoulder "Surely you haven't forgotten what day it is?"

I was confused, but only for a minute. I brightened up "It's Anyari's birthday!" I exclaimed. Mom smiled, and handed me a few silver coins.

"I know it's not much, but you could probably get something nice for her here," I nodded and went gift shopping. There were so many choices to choose from, but I finally decided on a hair clip made of glass that was shaped like a rose. I knew she would love it.

I carefully hid it in my bag I was carrying and ran to catch up with my family, who were making a large procession to the palace. We got there just as the outside gates opened to us. We were marched in and sounds of awe escaped from the mouths of Shu, Itomo, Moko and Komo. They had never been to the Fire Nation, much less the royal palace. It was amusing to see them so.

We split up then, my siblings and cousins going off in exploration, and me to find Anyari. I looked in the courtyard, which was where she usually practiced firebending with Zulon. Or, at least, she used to, before he became an arrogant snob. (or, at least, that's what I pertained from Anyari's letter)

I sighed. Zulon used to be really nice to me. We use to have bending battles when I came here last, which was about three years ago, and in that matter of time, I became friends with Zulon. I hated to admit that, even if what Anyari said wasn't true, I still missed Zulon…a lot. There was that small chance, though, that Anyari was being her exaggerative self, and putting this Zulon situation out of context, which I hoped was the case.

While in my moment of self-pity, I had forgotten what I came to the courtyard for. I searched all around and finally found Anyari, sitting on a bench, overlooking a small pond. I snuck up behind her, got close to her ear, and whispered "Sozin is watching you."

Anyari screamed, stood up immediately, and turned around to glare at me. When she saw who I was though, her glare vanished and was replaced with a huge grin. "Leila!" she hugged me. "I wasn't expecting you for another day, you're early! That's a new one for your family."

I rolled my eyes. "Ha ha, very funny." I said sarcastically, but soon smiled too.

Anyari sat me down beside her. "So, you have to tell me EVERYTHING! What have you been doing the past three years, what kinds of adventures your dad has had, et cetera."

"That's a lot of stuff to tell, Anyari. I have to give you something anyway." I pulled out the rose hair clip and handed it to her "Happy thirteenth birthday, Anyari." She squealed happily.

"Wow, Leila, this is so pretty! I love it." She stuck it in her long black hair that trailed down her back, and asked "Well, how does it look?"

I nodded in approval. "It looks great, Anya." I said, calling her by her rarely used nickname. "So, you want me to tell you everything?"

The next hour was spent me telling what had happened in the past three years, starting with my training, and ending with the failed kiss Kuru gave me. She was laughing when she commented "Oh Kuru, you really need to get a life." I nodded, and looked past Anyari's head to see someone walking towards us.

Zulon.

I nudged Anyari, and she turned around just as Zulon came up to us. I smiled and stood up and said to him, my voice coated with fake courtesy. "Prince Zulon, it gives me great honor to be in your…esteemed presence. I hope I_'_m worthy of this…prestigious gathering which you have decided to come forward to" I heard Anyari stifle a giggle behind her hands, but I sincerely tried to keep my face stone hard. It didn't work. I snorted and then burst out laughing with Anyari at the look on Zulon's face.

Zulon narrowed his eyes at me. "It seems I was right about you, the water tribe doesn't have any manners."

Anyari gasped behind me. I stood my ground. "I am sorry you do not find me worthy, Zulon. I had so hoped you would reform my tribal ways, but it doesn't look like it is going to happen." I turned back to Anyari. "Let's go, Anyari. This royal air is making me suffocate." And with that, we walked arm-in-arm away from Zulon.

Once out of earshot, I laughed again with Anyari and said. "Anyari, how can you stand him? I had to look in my vocabulary that I only use for government officials."

Anyari smiled. "I think you had him at 'prestigious', the look on his face!" We immersed into another fit of giggles. Once we calmed down, Anyari asked "Leila, are you coming to my party tonight?" It was tradition that when a member of the royal family had a birthday, the whole first class Fire Nation would be invited to a state-dinner style banquet.

I looked at Anyari with mock surprise "Don't you think Zulon would kick me out, what with my 'no manners' and my 'tribal ways?" We laughed. "Of course I'm going to come! I already know what I'm going to wear."

"Good." Anyari bit her lip as if she couldn't decide if she wanted to tell me something. She said, hesitantly "I know I probably sound really weird, but one of the reasons I glad you're here is I miss Zulon. You know, the old Zulon. I think he really likes you." I blushed. "And I think that you being here will…change him. I miss my brother."

Anyari's eyes started to water. I hugged her, saying. "I'll try to do whatever I can." We broke apart. "Who knows, anything can happen at a party."

* * *

B/N gasp This is sooo good. I can't wait to see the next one.


	5. Dances and Fire Lilies

**A/N** Chapter 5!! I'm…(takes out calculator)1/5 of the way through this story!! YAY!! Hopefully chap 6 will be out ASAP (but no promises with me, right? ;D)

Disclaimer: If I owned ATLA…I would…be…famous?

* * *

Dances and Fire Lilies

I looked at myself in the mirror in my guest room. Mine own guest room. No more sharing a room with Mysha and Sashia. I was finally in a room I could currently call my own. I was free!! It was a nice feeling.

Anyway, the mirror. I was looking at it because I had my dress on. It was a light, almost sky blue ankle length strapless dress that had a white design on the sides that could be considered flowers. On my arms I had fingerless, dark blue gloves. I wore on my feet dark blue satin shoes that would probably get ruined before the night was over. I had also left my hair down, except for my hair loopies, which had blue ribbon strung through them..

I looked nice, if that's what you're wondering. Really nice. I know, I sound really conceited, but still.

My thoughts were quickly interrupted by a knock on my door. I opened it an inch before seeing who it was. It was Anyari. She had on a red and gold dress the barely reached the floor. I opened the door wider. "Anya, you look fantastic!"

She blushed. "Really, y-you think so?"

"Of course I do! You look great." I raised my eyebrows. "But shouldn't you be in the banquet hall by now? You have to supervise decorating, right?"

"Well, yes technically." Anyari smiled. "But mom decided at the last minute for me to not supervise it. You remember, I told you about what happened last year, right?"

I had a vague memory of a letter that Anyari sent me.. It had consisted of pink confetti, and an exploding red dragon. I could see why her mom decided to not let her be in charge of the decorations.

"I just came to see what your dress looked like before Zulon saw it."

OK, now I was on the verge on anger, and it showed because Anyari added. "Oh come off it, Leila. Zulon likes you, and if I'm correct, you most definitely like him." A hot blush crept into my cheeks, and Anyari smirked. " You luuuurve him. I know it; all you need to do is know it too." I punched her on the shoulder and she shrugged. "Hey, I didn't make you like him. Don't blame me." I chased her out of my room, and I leaned against my door, contemplating her words.

--

An hour later, I was formally being introduced as I walked into the banquet hall. "Miss Leila, daughter of Avatar Aang." I walked in and marveled at the place. Fire Lady Mai may be a little depressing, but she could surprisingly have some good decorations at a party. I took my designated seat at the large table to my right, sitting next to Torako and Mysha. I smiled at Torako, and he weakly smiled back. Huh, he must be nervous about… something. I had no idea what. What had he to be nervous about?

I turned to Mysha. Her dress was a light grey dress and she had short white gloved on. Her long hair was tied up into an intricate bun, assumingly done by my mother. Mysha was staring at everybody and everything. I smiled at her. "Enjoying it?"

She grinned like a maniac. "All the ladies have the prettiest dresses on. I want to be a lady someday and wear stuff like they have." I agreed with her, for what else was I supposed to say to a dreaming girl with high hopes?

Just then, Anyari was announced and she slowly walked in. I saw Torako blush at the sight of her out of the corner of my eye. Anyari smiled and waved at everyone in the room and stopped to exchange greetings with certain people. I couldn't help but think that Anyari was the prefect princess, so regal and refined. She had it down to a science, that girl. She stopped by my seat and whispered.. "Am I doing ok so far? I'm so nervous!"

I smiled. "If you are, you're hiding it wonderfully. Oh, and happy thirteenth birthday!" Anyari sighed gratefully, smiled, and sat down at the head of the table. The first course was served, (a tasty soup of Fire Nation origin) and the dinner began. The food was ah-mazing I have to say. Nothing like what we had in the South Pole. Ever. At all. I mean, sure food is great down there and all and I have to get used to it since we have it all the time but it just doesn't compare to…

**Azula:** Oh, get on with it!

**Mai: **Yes, get on with it!

**Everyone else in story:** GET ON WITH IT!!

Well goodness, if you're going to act that way!

Anyway…the dinner finished quickly and soon the festivities began. Everyone rose up, chairs scraping back, and made their way to the ballroom.

As I walked in I saw people on the dance floor, and I stopped to watch. Dancing. After the war, my father had single-handedly brought back the old dances to the Fire Nation. When he was young, dancing had been forbidden. I can't imagine dancing being forbidden. It must've been awful for everyone not to express themselves that way.

I so wanted to join in, but the only drawback was I couldn't dance a step. Especially not Fire Nation dances. Dad had always told me he would teach them to me one day, but he's the Avatar, right? All work, no play for him. At least sometimes anyway.

As I stood watching the dancers, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Zulon. My stomach felt queasy for a moment, and then it passed. Weird. That's never happened before. I looked at Zulon. I hated to say it, but he looked…kinda cute. Not that I care, but still. Kinda cute. His hair was up in a bun (I hate calling it that. Is there a manly word for bun?) And his robes looked very regal as well. I smiled bitterly. "Yes, Prince Zulon?"

He winced, but went on. "It would give me great pleasure if you would dance this dance with me."

I gaped at him. Could he really believe that after him insulting me, hurting Anyari, and being a total idiot that I would really dance with him? Who did he think he was? Did he think I was stupid or something?

…Then again, I did want to learn to dance, and he was a prince. So with much trepidation, I accepted his offer. He took my hand as we walked onto the dance floor.

Once there, he started doing what I believed to be a basic waltz. I copied his motions and after a few minutes, he commented. "Even with a waltz you are an awful dancer." I could sense the sarcastic tone in his voice, and I playfully glared back. We continued dancing, before he stopped, saying. "You look tired. Let's go outside." I heartily agreed. I followed him and we came to a high balcony.

It was a beautiful with a crescent moon in the sky. I smiled at it, and thanked the moon spirit for making me a water-bender. It was a moment before I remembered Zulon was beside me, and I turned to him, saying.. "Zulon…thank you very much for teaching me how to dance, it was lovely."

He looked at me a moment before bowing. "I am honored, Leila. It was my pleasure." I smiled. Then, with a sweep of his arm he grabbed a flower from a nearby bush and handed it to me. A Fire Lily. My favorite flower. In the back of my mind, I think he realized how much this meant to me. I could not get Fire Lilies in the South Pole. _This_ was the Zulon I remember; playful, teasing, and kind. It was good to have him back. I started to thank him, but suddenly realized that I was blushing, and turned away. I expected Zulon to ignore my actions, but instead he did something entirely different.

I felt his hand on my chin as he turned my face towards his. He looked deep into my eyes before cupping my face in his hands. Not blinking, he started moving towards my face, his full of an emotion I could not decipher. He was getting nearer and nearer to me and my face was getting hotter and hotter, and then…

Applause suddenly broke out form inside, and I pulled away quickly. "We better see what's going on inside." And with that, I ran inside, leaving Zulon behind_, _obviously confused.

Inside, I saw people gathered in a huge circle and I squeezed beside Anyari. She motioned to the people in the center and I gasped. My mother and father were in the middle, dancing. Their movements indicated bending movements as they twisted and danced around each other. Their movements were so graceful and the looked to perfectly poised. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. Once they finished with a pose, the whole ballroom broke out in tremendous applause and cheering. I think my family cheered the loudest. In the crowd, I saw Zulon across the circle looking at me, and I blushed again. Anyari, leaned towards me, and in a whisper only I could hear, said. "Luuuurve."

After the crowd has dispersed, we heard a glass clinking at the front of the room. I turned to see Fire Lord Zuko at the front of the room. I turned to Anyari and she shrugged. Either this was surprise or it had not been planned earlier.

I'm guessing the latter.

Zuko cleared his throat, and began his impromptu speech. "Everyone, I have just received a letter from one of our battalions and it had brought us good news. Azula, who has been on the run for the past fifteen years, has been defeated!"

The whole room burst into applause once again, and a real celebration began. Anyari and I jumped up and down squealing. Then she ran back to her parents while I found mine. I hugged all my family who was cheering as well. My father looked happy for the first time that week, and I felt wholly joyous again.

I looked around the room and spotted Zulon. He had the surly look on his face that he had earlier, and the distaste that had so conveniently vanished earlier came back in a rush. I glared at him and hoped he saw it. Why did he have to ruin my mood now? When everything was turning out alright? But I wouldn't confront him now. Tomorrow, he would get the most gruesome interrogation of his life.

I couldn't wait for it to begin.

* * *

**B/N **Yay! You finally updated. Lovely chapter.


	6. Confrontations

**A/N **Hehe, did I say that I was going to try and update more frequently? Did I really say that? Well...I guess that isn't going to happen, is it? xD I AM HOPELESS!!

Anywhom here is chapter whatever-chapter-I'm-on-now!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, but I do own my OC's. **  
**

* * *

**Confrontations**

The next morning, I stormed all over the palace, probably causing a bunch of people to wake up. I didn't care. I was long past due my rant to Zulon. Well, not a rant, maybe, but I did want to give him a piece of mind. He has gone too long with insulting and being a grade A jerk to Anyari…and me for that matter. I just wanted to…

Then, whenever I thought about that, the thought of last night crept into my mind. His face was _thisclose _to mine!_ Thisclose_!! And, even if I supposedly hated Zulon, I enjoyed almost kissing him. Kind of. Argh! I was(am) so confused and I can't(or make this couldn't. Basically, you need to redo this sentence. You go from past tense to present tense.) think straight.

As I stormed around looking for Zulon, I suddenly had the weirdest flashback. I don't know why I had it then, but it still brought good memories back to me. I was six, Anyari was five and Zulon was seven…

_"OW!" Anya had just fallen down outside while we were playing tag. She fell to the ground clutching her knee. "Owwwwww." She moaned, drawing out the word. I quickly went over to see that she wasn't exaggerating. Her "wound" was dripping blood and I had felt queasy.__ I bended some water out of the nearby fountain and placed it over her knee. All through the mini-healing session, Zulon was hugging his sister around her shoulders, comforting her. "It's ok, Anya…you'll be alright."_

I went back to the present and wiped away a stray tear, before remembering I was finding Zulon so I could get him to act like he had in my flashback. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind.

I ran into Anyari then. "Anya, have you seen your brother anywhere?"

She smiled. "If you're going to give him a piece of your mind, then he's in the garden." 'Piece of my mind'? It was like she could read my thoughts!

I smiled back. "Thanks Anya. Want to watch the show?"

"Are you kidding? It will ruin the whole effect if I'm there. I'll find out the details later." She started walking away.

"Wait… what?" But she ignored me and kept walking.

Taking Anayari's tip, I went to straight to the garden to see that she was right. Zulon was sitting by a fountain, feeding turtle ducks. As much as the scene warmed my heart, I had to do what I had to do. I stood behind him until he noticed the shadow that went over him. He turned around. "What do you want?"

I seethed. "What is your problem Zulon?"

"Problem?" he asked semi-innocently. "What do you mean?"

"You know very well what I mean." I told him coldly. "Ever since I came here you have been nothing but insincere, cold, and harsh towards almost everybody! Anyari is depressed because of you! She wants her real brother back, not this twit who has no consideration for anybody! It's sickening. I want to see the Zulon I saw last night before Azula was pronounced dead!"

As I was about to go on another rage, I paused. "_Wait a second._" I thought to myself. "_Zulon became jerk-ish after he found out about Azula. Why did that happen? Does he know something?_" I glared at Zulon who, now that I noticed, eyes were wide open.

He immediately regained his composure "I don't take kindly to people talking that way to me."

"Oh please, like you actually care about that." I sarcastically remarked. "You and I both know that this is not the real you. The real Zulon is…" I searched for the right words, but couldn't find any. "Not what you've become definitely."

Zulon looked at the ground and muttered. "I am sorry you do not find me worthy, Lady Leila." I stood there transfixed. He had used my exact words from yesterday. Before I could say anything, he spoke again. "You may not notice it Leila, but you have changed too, just as I have." With that, he stormed back inside the palace.

I heard a gasp beside me and turned to see my siblings and my cousins staring at me. They had watched all of Zulon's and my fight. I put my hands on my hips. "Just what do you think you guys are doing?" They quickly ran off. I slumped onto the bench by the fountain and mindlessly threw the rest of Zulon's bread to the turtle ducks.

--

Later that day, I was in my room, thinking (OK, sulking) when Mysha and Shu barged in. "What's going on?" I asked them, thoroughly confused.

Mysha grinned. "Anayari, Zulon, Zuko and Mai are coming home with us!!" I looked at Shu for support, but he nodded.

"We're going to visit Ember Island and all sorts of other places too!" I raised my eyebrows. "It's true! Mom just told us. We're all going on this huge ship and going places."

I groaned and leaned back on my bed. "For how long?" I asked.

"About four weeks maybe." Mysha answered. I groaned again. "Leila, it's going to be fun! Don't spoil it."

I rolled my eyes. "I won't, but are you sure that The Fire Lord, Anya and them are coming?" Shu and Mysha nodded. I sighed, "Fine."

Mysha grinned and started air scootering around the room, then bumped into a table. In a split second I was over there catching the vase she had knocked over. "MYSHA!" I pointed to my door. "Out." She and Shu walked out of the room, still smiling. I shut the door behind them, and then walked over to the table to put the fallen vase back. "Four weeks on the same boat as Zulon." I looked at my ceiling. "Does the world really hate me that much?"

--

The next few days were spent packing and lots of it. Since we had only been here for a few days, there really wasn't much for me to re-pack, but apparently, Anyari had to pack every single piece of her wardrobe. "…and if we go to a semi-formal party, I'll wear this dress with these shoes, and maybe this necklace. No, wait, that goes with the extremely formal dress. For Ba Sing Se's palace I'll wear…"

Did I forget to mention that Anyari is obsessed with clothes?

I shook my head, amused. "Anya, we're going on a vacation. I really don't think we'll be going to any coronations."

She glared at me. "How do you know? Anything can happen in four weeks." I just rolled my eyes as she continued to pack. "…for the beach I'll wear this, but if I'm just sunbathing I'll wear this, and…"

--

After Anyari's clothing dilemma, our ship was finally ready to leave. The plan was to go to Ember Island for a few days, and then onto the Earth Kingdom to celebrate Azula's downfall. After that, all of us would go to the Southern Water Tribe.

I wished it was over right now. No, I don't think, I know I couldn't stand a month or more with Zulon after our fight (Which basically everyone knew about now). I guess I would have to make the best of it though.

This was going to be a _long _trip.

* * *

B/N Great chapter! You are really talented at this. Can't wait to beta more.


	7. URGENT

**THIS STORY HAS BEEN PUT ON HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE...NOT THAT YOU PROBABLY HAVEN'T NOTICED ALREADY SINCE I'VE BEEN GONE FOR LIKE SIX MONTHS OR SO...BUT YEAH.**

**SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. **


End file.
